Torpedo construction.



H. W. SHONNARD.

TORPEDO CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 5, I916.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

5- I INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD W. SBIOITN'ARID, OF UPPER MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB '10 CRUCIBLE STEEL COMPANY OF AMERICA, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A COBPOBATION TOBPEDO CONSTRUCTION.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 5, 1916.

Application filed January 5, 1916. Serial No. (0,480. I

provements in Torpedo Construction, of

which improvements the following is a specification.

The invention described herein relates to automobile torpedoes, and the object thereof is to improve the construction and arrangement of the liquid-containing reservoirs thereof and the means for controlling flow of pressure gas to, and liquid from, such reservoirs.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings, forming part of the specification, the 'referred embodiment of the invention is i lustrated.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical central section of a portion of a tor edo; Fig. 2 a transverse sectional view on t e line IIII, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a longitudinal vertical sectional view to enlarged scale of a detail fully explained hereinafter; and Fig. 4 a sectlonal view to enlarged. scale of a valve, the plane ofview being indicated by the line IVIV, Fig. 1.

Having reference first to the construction and arrangement of the liquid-containing reservoirs, they are placed immediately aft the compressed gas flask in a water-tight compartment, and their walls are independent of each other and of the rear wall of the flask, so that the'liquid within the reservoirs may not attack and weaken the flask wall, thus rendering it liable to spring a leak; and furthermore, so that, in the event of a leak in the end of the flask, the fuel and water will not, because of gas pressure, he prematurely expelled from the reservoirs. Preferably the reservoirs are annular in form and are placed in telescoping fashion one Within the other, the inner reservoir surrounding a ipe leading from the flask. Furthermore, the reservoirs are provided with interlocking or engaging flanges so arranged that a clamping member carried by the aforementioned pipe may hold the reservoirs in their proper positions.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, a portion of a flask 1, having an end wall 2, is shown connected to a section of the toredo shell 3. Leading from the center of the ead or end wall 2 of the flask there is a p pe 4 and concentrically surrounding this pipe t ere are the fuel reservoirs 5 and the water reservoirs 6. The shell 3 is provided with a plurality of suitable'supports 7 for the forward end of the reservoir 6, and with an annular flange 8 to support the rear end of such reservoir and to form part of a bulk head adapted to set off a water ti ht compartment aft the flask and in w 'ch the reservoirs are disposed. The rear end of the outer wall of the reservoir 6 is provided wlth an annular flange 9 adapted to engage the flange 8, and the inner wall with a shoulder or abutment 10 adapted to be engaged' by an annular flange 11 secured to the outer wall of the reservoir 5. To hold the reservoirs in position, a clamping member in the form of a nut 12 is screwed .upon the pipe 4 and brought into ti ht bearing contact with the innerwall of t e reservoir 5. A'l so,-that the several flanges and other engagmg parts may, together with the reservo1rs, form a water tight, bulkhead, suitable packing is employed as indicated.

As will presently be explained more in detail, the fuel and water are, when required,

expelled from their respective reservoirs by means of gas, in this instance air, pre$ure. For this purpose air inlet pipes 13 and 14 extend into, and have their open ends at, the top of the reservoirs 5 -and 6, and liquid outlet pipes 15 and 16 extend from the lower end portions of the reservoirs. With such a construction, and arrangement, that is, an elongate fuel reservoir having an outlet pipe leading from the lower portion of one end thereof, it is entirely possible that, when the fuel supply is low the. torpedo may, in its travel, temporarily incline to such a degree that there will be no fuel at the/inlet end of the pipe, with the result that combustion in the motive fluid generator will cease. To eliminate such difiiculty, a trap, formed by a partition 17 having a small opening 18 at its bottom, is provided in the outlet end of the reservoir. When the torpedo is running horizontally, the level of the fuel in the trap will be the same as that in the main portion of the reservoir; but, when the torpedo inclines downwardly, the fuel in the trap will not have escaped through the artition opening 18 until the horizontal rud or has reversed the inclination of the voirs and 6, against bursting or becoming otherwise injured by reason of gas pressure due to a leak in the flask, the shell is providedwith a safety valve 19 of any desired construction, but which preferably comprises a disruptable disk similar to that shownin Fig. 3, to be presently explained.

It will be understood that, when there is undue or dangerous air pressure Within the watertight reservolr compartment, the safety valve-will function to afi'ord an escape for the air.

The invention further concernsthe control of the flow of compressed air to, and fuel and water from the reservoirs 5 and 6. The torpedo is provided with any suitable form of heater or motive fluid generator 20, from which motive fiuidis led by'a pipe 21 to a turbine or, other motor, not shown herein, but which is well understood by those skilled in the art. Compressed air is led to the generator 20 through pipe 22, starting valve23, reducing valve 24 and pipe 25. For applying pressure to the liquid reservoirs, a pipe 26 leads from pipe 25 to a casing 27, and from thence through the pipes 13 and 14, as already explained. To the end that there may be no leakage through the controlling valve to cause the liquids to flow from the reservoirs before it is intended that they should, a disruptable gas-tight closure is provided to control flow through the pipes 26, 13 and 14. The preferred construction for this purpose is illustrated in Fig. 3, wherein the casing 27, secured to the shell 3, is shown as being connected to the pipes 26, 13 and 14. The closure is preferably in the form of an expanded curved metal disk 28 held in fluid tight engagement between a threaded plug 29 and a suitable seat formed within the casing 27 Above the disk 28 the plug 29 is provided with ports 30 leading to passageways 31 communicating with the pipes 13 and 14, and preferably the'plug is provided centrally with a pin 32 adapted to assist in the rupture of the disk 28 when expanded under the force of a predetermined pressure.

By using a fluid tight disruptable closure for controlling the flow of pressure-applying gas to the liquids within the reservoirs, such disk being disruptable by such a pressure within the pipe 26 as is practically unattainable except under actualoperating conditions, it will be seen that such small leaks as are liable to occur will not be effective to expel the fuel and water from their respective reservoirs. However, to the end that should the disk be permanently disrupted because of an abnormal or unusual leak, further means in the form of a manually operable valve is provided for controlling the flow of the fuel and water from the res* ervoirs. This valve, as seen in detail in Fig. 4, preferably comprises a casing 33, secured to the shell 3, and a rotatable cylinder 34 provided with an operating handle 35. The. outlet pipes or fluid conduits 15 and 16 lead to the casing 33, and pipes 36 and 37 extend from the casing to the heater 20. The cylinder 34 is provided with two ports 38 which may be of the same construction, and which, in the position of the cylinder indicated in vFig. 4, are adapted to place the pipes 15 and 16 in communication with the pipes 36 and 04, respectively. In the other position of the cylinder flow is closed through such pipe, and in such position the operating handle 35, as shown in Fig. 1, preferably extends through the torpedo shell. When the torpedo is charged and in readiness for launching the cylinder 34 will be in the opposite position from that indicated in Fig. 4, the

flow of fuel and water to the heater being thus positively shut off. Before placing the p torpedo within the launching tube, the valve handle is turned to the position indicated in Fig. 4; and with respect to this it will be understood that there is no liability of the valve being inadvertently left closed because the torpedo cannot be placed within a tube while the valve operating handle 35 projects from the shell.

According to the provisions of the patent statute, I have described the principle and operation of my invention together with the construction which I now consider to represent the best embodiment of my invention.- However, I desire to have it understood that the construction shown is only illustrative, and that the invention may be practiced by other means.

I claim as my invention: I

1. In a torpedo, the combination of a compressed gas flask, a water-tight compartment having one wall formed by the end of said flask, and independent annular concentric liquid-containing reservoirs within said compartment.

2. In a torpedo, the combination of a compressed gas flask, a. water-tight compartment having one wall formed by the end of said flask, and annular concentric liquid-containing reservoirs within said compartment, the walls of said reservoirs being independent of said end wall of the flask.

3. In a torpedo, the combination of a compressed gas flask, a water-tight compartment having one Wall formed by the end of ,said flask, and annular concentric liquid-containing reservoirs within said compartment, the Walls of said reservoirs being independent of each other and of saidend wall of the flask.

4. In a torpedo, the combination of a compressed gas flask, a Water-tight compartment having one wall formed by the end of said flask, and fuel and Water reservoirs Within said compartment, the Walls of said reservoirs being independent of each other and of said end Wall of the flask.

5. In a torpedo, the combination of a compressed gas flask, a Water-tight compartment having one end Wall formed by the end of said flask, and independent annular concentric fuel and Water reservoirs Within said compartment, said reservoirs forming a part of the other end wall of said compartment.

6. In a torpedo, the combination of a shell, a compressed gas flask, a Water-tight compartment having one end wall formed by the end of said flask and its side Wall by a section of the torpedo shell, fuel and Water reservoirs Within said compartment, and a safety valve in and controlling flow through a all of said compartment.

7. In a. torpedo, the combination of a shell, a compressed gas flask, a conduit leading from the flask substantially centrally of the torpedo shell, concentric annular liquid reservoirs surrounding said) conduit, said shell and reservoirs being provided with interlocking flanges, and means secured to said conduit for bringing said flanges into interlocking and reservoir-retaining positions.

8. In a torpedo, the combination of a shell, a compressed gas flask, a conduit leading from the flask substantially centrally of the torpedo shell, concentric annular fuel and water reservoirs surrounding said conduit, an inwardly-extending flange secured to said shell, an outwardly-extending flange secured to the periphery of the outer reservoir and adapted to engage said shell flange, an outwardly-extending flange secured to the periphery ofthe inner reservoir and adapted to engage the outer reservoir, and a clamp adjustable upon said conduit and adapted to engage the inner reservoir and to thereby hold said several flanges in interlocking and reservoir-retaining positions.

9. In a torpedo, the combination of a compressed gas flask, a heater, fuel and Water reservoirs, conduits leading from said reservoirs to saidheater means for applying gas pressure to cause fuel and Water to flow from the reservoirs to the heater, and a valve manually operable from outside of the torpedo for controlling flow of fuel and water through said conduits.

10. In a torpedo, the combination of a compressed gas flask, a heater, an elongate fuel reservoir having a liquid trap at one end of the bottom thereof, a conduit leading from the trap of said reservoir, and means for applying gas pressure to cause fuel to flow through said conduit.

11. In a torpedo, the combination of a compressed gas flask, a liquid reservoir, a heater, conduits between the heater and said flask and reservoir, pressure-applying communicating means between said flask and reservoir, and a disrupt-able fluid-tight closure controlling flow through said communicating means to the reservoir.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

HAROLD W. SHONNARD.

Witnesses:

M. A. ELLIOTT, J. A. GRAHAM. 

